Four seek BOS seat as election field set

Thursday

Feb 21, 2008 at 2:00 AM

By Jason Graziadei I&M Assistant Editor

A four-way race for two seats on the Board of Selectmen tops this year’s Annual Town Election ballot, where voters will also have their choice of candidates for seats on the Planning Board, School Committee and Historic District Commission.

Two former candidates who came up short in last year’s Board of Selectmen race – Rick Atherton and David Gray – will challenge incumbents Brian Chadwick and Whitey Willauer in what should be a competitive race for the two seats up for grabs.

Though county sheriff Richard Bretschneider and fisherman Joseph Dooley had also pulled nomination papers to run for a seat on the five-member board, they did not return them, thinning the field of candidates to four.

In the race for outgoing Planning Board chairman Frank Spriggs’ seat, current selectmen vice chairman Michael Kopko will square off against former ZBA administrator Linda Williams. The other two potential candidates in that race – Leedara Zola and Ann Bissinger Poor – did not return their nomination papers.

Incumbent School Committee members Christine Elahi and Dr. Tim Lepore will run for reelection against newcomer Robin Harvey, co-owner of the Seagrille Restaurant and a long-time community volunteer.

In a crowded race for two seats on the Historic District Commission, incumbent chairman Dirk Roggeveen will face David Barham, Diane Coombs, Deborah Timmermann and John Wagley.

The four-candidate race for the Board of Selectmen should garner significant attention as Chadwick and Willauer attempt to buck the trend of incumbents failing to return to the board for another term. Island voters have ushered in new selectmen in six straight elections as every single incumbent over the past six years – including Steve Bender, Tim Soverino, Matt Fee, Frank Spriggs, Finn Murphy, Catherine Flanagan Stover, Doug Bennett and Bruce Watts – have either been defeated at the polls or chose not to run for reelection.

Willauer, 76, has served as chairman of the board for the past two years, and said his ability to tackle the multitude of complex issues facing the town will be a strength in his reelection campaign.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Willauer said. “I’m going to run and I think we’ve accomplished a great deal in the past three years. We’ve got a lot of programs up and running and we’re working as a team. I’m very encouraged by what’s happening and hope the electorate will return me to the board.”

Willauer praised Chadwick for his work on land-related issues such as takings, easements and the One Big Beach program, but said Atherton would also be a solid addition to the board.

Atherton, 65, the chairman of the Finance Committee, finished third in last year’s race for two open seats on the board, which were ultimately claimed by Allen Reinhard and Patty Roggeveen. Atherton finished with 1,156 votes in that contest, behind Reinhard’s 1,239 and Roggeveen’s 1,180.

Though busy with the Finance Committee’s current slate of meetings to prepare for the upcoming Annual Town Meeting, Atherton said he has the time and is motivated for another campaign.

“I still think I can be helpful to the board and the issues of forward planning, budgets and how we deal with our infrastructure needs over time are of great interest to me,” Atherton said in a recent interview. “I feel I can bring something to the board in that respect.”

Atherton moved to the island year-round in 1991 with his wife, D. Anne and their three children. In addition to serving as chairman of the Finance Committee, he is employed with CFF Services, a real estate and mortgage finance firm based on Nantucket.

Atherton will be joined as a challenger in the race by plumber David Gray, who also serves on the Conservation Commission and the Nantucket Planning & Economic Development Commission. The campaign will mark Gray’s fourth run for the Board of Selectmen, after unsuccessful bids in the 2006 Annual Town Election, the 2006 special election to fill the seat of Michael Glowacki, who resigned due to health concerns, and the 2007 Annual Town Election. Gray is a former firefighter and police officer who was born and raised on Nantucket.

“I still think I have something to offer the town,” Gray said after pulling his nomination papers. “I still feel the same way I felt in my last three attempts, however unsuccessful they were, I did increase every time and I’m ready to try again.”

Kopko and Williams, who squared off in the 2005 selectmen’s race in which Kopko ultimately prevailed, will compete in what promises to be a spirited campaign, as both candidates are not shy about public speaking. The five-member Planning Board is responsible for reviewing residential subdivisions, secondary-dwelling permits, and issues Major Commercial Development permits for larger projects.

“I have a unique background as far as experience with 25 years with the ZBA, and the Planning Board uses the same zoning regulations, which I’m familiar with,” Williams said. “I have a good knowledge of land-use issues and a knowledge of the island after spending my entire life here. I have a great relationship with the (Planning Department) staff, and knowledge of the rules and regulations, both state and local, and how the permitting process works.”

Williams also questioned whether Kopko, a sitting selectman, should have even entered the race for the Planning Board seat at all.

“I don’t believe members of the Board of Selectmen should be trying to insert themselves into any regulatory board,” Williams said. “They have quite enough to do. They have a full plate right now and their energy should be dedicated to setting policy and making sure the town is running efficiently. The Board of Selectmen instituted this dog and pony show about interviewing all the candidates for appointed boards, and I remember one selectman saying he wanted to get more people involved in town government and wanting to diversify the membership of these boards.”

Kopko said Wednesday that there is precedent for selectmen also serving on the Planning Board, and mentioned Spriggs himself, who served a three-year term as a selectman while also on the Planning Board. Kopko added that he has the time and energy to run for the Planning Board, in spite of his current duties as a selectman.

“It’s not without precedent,” Kopko said. “The guy getting off the board right now was on the Planning Board and the Board of Selectmen for three years. I don’t see that as a conflict. It’s my business if I want to spend the time doing this. I go to Planning Board meetings all the time because I’m interested in issues dealing with growth.

“I think I bring a different perspective on planning than the current members of that board, and if you ask Nat (Lowell), or Barry (Rector), or Sylvia (Howard), or John (McLaughlin), I think they would say the same thing. I think Linda slots in with their way of thinking on planning issues.”

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